Firefighters Benevolent Fund treasurer departs amid missing funds

Wednesday

Oct 23, 2013 at 1:04 PMOct 23, 2013 at 5:27 PM

Thomas “T.J.” Rhoades has been removed from board and plans to retire from Fire Department.

By LEE WILLIAMS

The treasurer of the Sarasota Firefighters Benevolent Fund has been fired by the board and barred from access to the fund, after other board members noticed money missing from the nonprofit's accounts.

Sarasota County Fire Department Lt. Thomas “T.J.” Rhoades has been removed from the board, according to Jason Wilkins, president of the Sarasota Firefighters Benevolent Fund.

Meanwhile, Rhoades, 43, announced plans to retire from the Fire Department.

He did not respond to calls from the Herald-Tribune seeking comment.

After learning there was money missing, Wilkins said he immediately went to the fund's bank with another board member and had Rhoades' access to accounts rescinded.

“We pulled our financial records and then called an emergency board meeting,” Wilkins said. “At that point we suspended T.J.'s rights as a board member, placed another board member in as interim treasurer and asked the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office to start an investigation. They have subpoenaed all the documents.”

Wilkins said the scope of the loss is not yet known.

“It's greater than $50,000, but we won't know exactly how much for some time,” he said. “We're working with an accountant and the bank to try to figure it out. It occurred over some period of time. We're trying to justify what was legit and what wasn't.”

Wilkins' board members also contacted the Herald-Tribune.

“We don't want to give the impression we're hiding anything,” he said. “This got us by surprise. We wan't the public to know we weren't doing anything wrong.”

Wilkins said the fund has an insurance policy that includes a fidelity bond, “specifically for this type of situation.

“We're working with the insurance company now,” he said.

Nonprofit

The Sarasota Firefighters Benevolent Fund was established in 1996 as a way to provide financial help to firefighters and their families who suffer a “catastrophic event,” such as an injury.

It is structured as a 501(c)(3) and, according to documents submitted to the Internal Revenue Service, receives around $100,000 annually through grants, contributions and fundraising.

It is not officially affiliated with the county Fire Department, although nearly every firefighter is a member of the fund.

Rhoades has served as treasurer since December 2010.

Battalion Chief Mike Regnier said Rhoades, who worked out of Station 10 on Fruitville Road, was placed on paid administrative leave Oct. 16, pending an investigation.

“He gave us a letter saying he plans to retire Oct. 25 — Friday,” Regnier said. “He's already turned in all Sarasota County property.”

Regnier declined to comment about the allegations, citing the separation between the fund and the county department.

“He's part of the benevolent fund. It's not anything to do with us,” he said.

According to Regnier, Rhoades was hired in 1988, and is being paid an annual salary of $85,188 until he retires.

According to data from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Rhoades was arrested on kidnapping charges in 1997 by the Sarasota County Sheriff's Office, but charges were later dropped. The arrest report states that Rhoades former wife told deputies he pointed a sawed-off shotgun at her and held her at gunpoint in their home for an hour.

Prosecutors dropped the charges weeks later, after the woman signed a waiver of prosecution and said she only contacted law enforcement because she was afraid Rhoades would harm himself.

'Disbelief'

Wilkins said he was devastated when he learned of the firefighter fund's missing money.

“Disgust, fear, disbelief — disbelief probably was the strongest,” he said. “The camaraderie and trust we have with our peers — to have this happen to us is unreal, but I'm very happy to say the membership and our sponsors are 100 percent behind us.”

“They understand it's an individual, not the organization,” Wilkins said. “There have already been a ton of changes so this can't happen again.